Embodied carbon is the carbon emitted as a result of the manufacture, transportation, construction and maintenance of building products and materials in projects. It is also a measure of the emissions that arise from dealing with those products and materials at the end of the building’s useful life.
Our embodied carbon assessment service helps you to understand the overall environmental impact of your construction project and identify areas of the specification that can be changed to lower the total emissions to better meet your overall project objectives.
Calculating a building’s operational carbon (the emissions resulting from use by occupants) is commonplace, not least because it forms part of building regulation compliance.
Legislation and regulation associated with embodied carbon is a rapidly changing landscape. While not yet formally covered by the Building Regulations, a proof-of-concept ‘Proposed Document Z’ has been prepared by, and is being openly discussed within, the construction industry. National regulation seems inevitable.
Already, many local authorities now require particular assessments, and the Greater London Authority is leading the way in that area. In addition, several voluntary schemes set limits for the total embodied carbon of the building.
Savings can be sought by reviewing specification choices and looking to use materials and products that are less carbon intensive. Embodied carbon targets also encourage lighter building designs with less complex forms that simply use fewer resources overall. Demand for raw materials and manufactured products is thereby lowered, reducing overall environmental impact.
The assessment of carbon emissions is broken down across different stages of a product’s life cycle. Some or all of the stages of that life cycle can be incorporated into an assessment, and there are different names given to different ‘types’ of carbon.
For example, the emissions associated with the raw material sourcing and manufacture of a product can be described as its ‘upfront emissions’.
Embodied carbon typically refers to products’ ‘cradle to grave’ emissions. That is, those emissions associated with the manufacturing stage, the use stage (specifically the replacement or repair of building parts), and the end-of-life stage. Embodied carbon is exclusive of any emissions in the use stage associated with the running of building services, most commonly electricity.
‘Whole life’ carbon goes even further in its assessment, taking into account the building’s operational emissions and any circular economy benefits of the specified materials. An embodied carbon assessment can be expanded to become a whole life carbon assessment, as part of the same service. We have a separate page that goes into more detail about whole life carbon.
By choosing Darren Evans’ embodied carbon assessment service, you’ll benefit from our extensive experience of working on low energy and net zero projects to minimise environmental impact.
Embodied carbon assessments help to meet targets and highlight emissions that exist, but which are not currently part of any other regulation or standard. As such, they are complementary to our extensive range of other services. Please get in touch to discuss your project, wherever you are in your construction project, we'd love to support you.
Significant widespread change in this area of design and specification will take time because construction industry supply chains are set up to do things a certain way. By making embodied carbon part of your project, you’re helping to create the change that the industry needs.
Embodied carbon is not part of building regulations, so there are competing targets and standards – and accompanying advice – that sometimes create more confusion than clarity. Work with an expert like Darren Evans to help define a goal that is right for you and your project.